Musical instrument



Sept. l5, 1942. A. LoGLl MUSICAL INSTRUMENT Filed April 14, 1941 Patented Sept. 15, 1942 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE MUSICAL INSTRUMENT Aldo Logli, Detroit, Mich. Application April 14, 1941, Serial No. 388,352

4 Claims.

This invention relates, in general, to musical instruments and, in particular, to those of the accordion type.

In the past, accordions have universally required two reeds or tongues for each note in order that the tone produced during bellows movement in one direction be the same as that produced during bellows movement in the opposite direction. Because of this, the two reeds of each set have had to be similarly tuned and kept so, the total number of reeds for each accordion has been at an irreducible maximum, and the necessity of employing reeds in duplicate has maintained the price of the accordion prohibitively high. Also, it is Well recognized that the greater the number of reeds employed the greater is the effort necessary to oscillate the bellows, and it follows, therefore, that an accordion requiring two reeds per note is operable with greater manual effort than an accordion ernploying a lesser number of reeds per note.

In View of the above disadvantages, one of the objects of the present invention is to provide a new and improved accordion which necessitates the use therein of a single reed or tongue per note.

Another object is to improve an accordion so that the number of vital parts needed is at a minimum, this feature having the effect of reducing manufacturing and assembling costs, sell- ,f

ing price, tuning costs and the manual effort necessary to be expended in operation.

Another object is to provide a new and improved accordion which, because it embodies a minimum number of vital parts, is, in addition to the above, lighter in weight and more compact than heretofore.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become readily apparent from a reference to the following specification taken in conjunction with the accompanying sheet of drawings in which:

Figure l is a longitudinal, elevational View of the accordion, same being partly broken away and in section to illustrate more clearly some of the details of construction thereat; and

Fig. 2 is a sectional view, taken along the line 2-2 of Fig. l.

As shown in the figures, the accordion consists, in general, of two end sections and an in- .Si

termediate section, the right end section being indicated generally at I9, the left end section being indicated generally at II and said intermediate section being indicated at I2. As is usual, sections I9 and II are interconnected by means of section I2, the latter section being collapsible so that said former sections may be movable toward and away from each other.

Section I0 comprises a relatively short, tubular casing member I3 one end of which is closed by an end plate I4 and the other end of which is closed by an end plate I5, said section carrying intermediate said plates another plate I6. Similarly, section II comprises a relatively short, tubular casing member I1 one end of which is closed by an end plate I8 and the other end of which is closed by an end plate I9, said section carrying intermediate said plates another plate 20. Sections I0 and II, as has been said, are inter-joined by means of the intermediate section I2, which is of bellows construction and, therefore, collapsible, the opposite ends of said section I2 being sealed and secured to the opposing ends of casing members I3 and I 'I by the use of annular sealing means 2I.

As is customary in an instrument of the accordion type, a series of individual reed chambers is provided in each of the two end sections I0 and I I, the purpose of each of said chambers being to provide an enclosed housing for one or more reeds through which housing and past which reed or reeds air must travel in a predesigned manner. To attain this objective, casing member I3, plates I4, I5 and I6 of end section I0 inter-support a plurality of perpendicularly arranged plates 22 and 23, whereas casing member I'I, plates I8, I9 and 20 of end section II inter-support another plurality of perpendicularly arranged plates 24 and 25. The result of the jointure of casing member I3, plates I4, I5 and I6 and plates 22 and 23 is the provision of a series of individual, superimposed chambers 26 and another series of similar, though smaller, chambers 2l, whereas the result of the jointure of casing member I'I, plates I8, I9 and 20 and plates 24 and 25 is the provision of a series of individual, superimposed chambers 28y and another series of similar, though smaller, chambers 29. Except in the manners to be discussed subsequently, each of the aforementioned chambers 26, 2l, 28 and 29is sealed from the remainder so that air passing thereinto or therefrom can be controlled in its travel in accordance with the aforementioned predetermined design, which is also to be discussed presently. It will be noted that each of the smaller chambers 21 is in longitudinal alignment (with respect to the accordion axis) with one of the larger chambers 26 and that each of the smaller chambers 29 is similarly in longitudinal alignment with one of the larger chambers 28, it being herewith pointed out that said chambers 26 andk 28 are to represent the aforementioned reed chambers and that said chambers 21 and 29 are to represent the air chambers which must necessarily be employed in conjunction with said reed chambers. It will further be noted that the number of plates 22 is different than the number of plates 24 and that the number of plates 23 is different than the number of plates 25, but this is simply a matter of design which is governed largely by the inherent nature of an instrument of the accordion type, it being contemplated that Said numbers may and will be changed wherever desired and/or necessary.

In each of the chambers 26 of end section there is xedly carried one or more plates or supports 36 which extend from chamber wall to chamber wall across the path of air travel so that the only way air can pass from one side to the other side of each of said supports is through an aperture 3| formed therein, each of said apertures being almost, but not entirely, closed by a reed or tongue 32 which is secured at one end to its respective support 3|] and free to vibrate responsive to air travel through its respective aperture 3|. Likewise, in each of the chambers 28 of end section Il there are provided plates or supports 33 having apertures 34 substantially covered by reeds or tongues 35. It goes without saying, for it is well understood by those versed in the art under consideration, that each reed or bank thereof in each chamber represents a particular note in the musical scale and that the reeds of said bank are simply spaced from each other in said scale by one or more octaves; in other words, the accordion is capable of playing as many notes as it has chambers (26 and 28) and each note is capable of being played in as many octaves as there are reeds per chamber. It will be noted that each of the chambers 26 and 28 is shown housing a bank of reeds rather than a single reed, principally because the former custom has been more universally adopted than the latter custom, but it is clear that such selection need not be followed, for, if desired, each of said chambers may easily enough be provided with more or less reeds.

Air travel through the apertures 3| and 34 is in one direction, and reeds 32 and 35 are supported and designed in accordance with and contemplation of this uni-directional air movement. To meet this situation, or to provide therefor, those plates |67 I5, I9 and 20, which define the opposite, end, transverse walls of the reed chambers 26 and 28, are formed with openings on each of the two sides of each bank of reeds confined within said chambers, said openings in said plate I6 being represented at 36 and 31, said openings in said plate I being represented at 38 and 39, said openings in said plate I9 being represented at 40 and 4| and said openings in said plate 2!) being represented at 42 and 43, It is proposed that each opening 36, 38, 40 and 42 be an inlet opening, that is, an opening which restricts air travel therethrough to air entering chambers 26 and 28, and to attain this end the inner surfaces of plates I6, I5, I9 and 20 have sections 44 of some pliable, impervious material secured thereto over said openings which normally close the latter except when air is travelling therepast during its flow inwardly into said chambers 26 and 28. It is further proposed that each opening 31, 36, 4! and 43 be an outlet opening, that is, an opening which restricts air travel therethrough to air leaving chambers 26 and 2B, and to attain this end the outer surfaces of plates I6, I5, I9 and 2B have sections 45 of material similar to that of sections 44 secured thereto over said openings which normally close the latter except when air is traveling therepast during its flow outwardly from said chambers 26 and 28. It is readily seen, then, from a reference to Fig. 2, that, as far as end section I5 is concerned, air travel through each of the chambers 26 is, coming from one direction, inwardly through the inlet opening 36 and outwardly through the outlet opening 39 and, coming from the other direction, inwardly through inlet opening 38 and outwardly through outlet opening 31, these two paths of travel being in the same direction with respect to the reeds 32 carried within said chamber 26; it will also be seen that, as far as end section II is concerned, air travel through each of the chambers 26 is, coming from one direction, inwardly through the inlet opening 42 and outwardly through the outlet opening 4| and, coming from the other direction, inwardly through the inlet opening 40 and outwardly through the outlet opening 43, these two paths of travel also being in the same direction with respect to the reeds 35 carried within said chamber 28. In short, if the end sections |0 and I are moved toward each other under the collapsibility of bellows l2, air will be expelled from within said bellows in opposite directions, namely, through inlet openings 38 and 40, into chambers 26 and 28 and thence outwardly through outlet openings 31 and 43, after passing around the edges of reeds 32 and 35; on the other hand, if the end sections I0 and I are moved away from each other under the extensibility of bellows I2, air will be drawn into the space within said bellows in opposite directions, namely, through inlet cpenings 36 and 42, into chambers 26 and 28 and thence outwardly through outlet openings 39 and 4|, after passing around the edges of reeds 32 and 35 in the same direction as said air assumed during the movement of said end sections |0 and toward each other. It is clear from this that the same reed or bank thereof in each chamber discussed is employable for being reacted upon by the air, whether said air is put into motion by bellows compression or by bellows expansion, the result being that the need for two reeds or banks per chamber has been eliminated and the aforementioned objectives made possible of being realized.

The wall I4 is formed with a plurality of openings 46, one for each chamber 21, and the wall I8 is similarly formed with another plurality of openings 41, one for each chamber 2S. It is through these openings that air is to travel, in one direction or the other, during the playing of the accordion, and, as is usualy said openings are manually closed or opened by means of valves 48 (for openings 46) and valves 49 (for openings 41). The accordion is provided, as is usual, with a double set of keys 50 and 5I which are pivotally connected to plate I4 by means of pins 52 and resiliently connected to an elongated portion 53 of casing member I3 by means of springs 54, said keys 50 carrying the free ends of one set of valves 48 and said keys 5| carrying the free ends of the other set of said valves 48, it being noted that said valves 48 normally close the openings 46 but are movable away therefrom upon depression of said keys 50 and 5|. The accordion is also provided, as is usual, with a plurality of elongated stems 55 which are guided for protraction and retraction, selectively, by means of a plate 56, which is carried by plate I3 and receives said stems near one extremity of each thereof, and a cover 51, which is secured to the free end of casing member |1 and receives said stems at the opposite extremity of each thereof, these latter extremities carrying buttons 58 which are engageable by the fingers of the player, as are the keys 50 and 5|, Each of the stems 55 is operatively connected, in any well known manner, to One of the valves 49 so that, when said stem is depressed, said valve will open its respective opening 41, there being a spring 59 operatively associated with each of said valves so as to urge said valve into a normally closed position with respect to said opening, said springs also serving to urge said stems into normally retracted positions. Each of the buttons 58 is provided with a. stop 60 for limiting the retractile movement of the respective stem 55.

Cover l is perforated, as at 6I, so as to permit air to enter the accordion during movement of its end sections I0 and Il away from each other and to leave said accordion during movement of said end sections toward each other. However, these perforations 6I are complemented by another series of perforations 62 which are provided in a cover 63 carried on the free end of end section ID. It is readily seen that, when the accordion is compressed, air will be ejected simultaneously through the perforations 6I and 62 and that, when said accordion is expanded, air will be injected simultaneously through said perforations 6l and 62.

Although the invention has been described with some detail it is to be understood that such description is for the purpose of illustration only and is not to be taken as definitive of the limits of the inventive idea. The right 1s reserved to make such changes in the details of construction and arrangement of parts as will fall within the purview of the attached claims.

What I claim is:

1. In an accordion, means defining a reed chamber, said chamber being sealed except for a pair of oppositely disposed openings formed adjacent an end portion of said means and another pair of oppositely disposed openings formed adjacent another end portion of said means. means carried within said chamber between said pairs of openings for isolating from each other the two portions of said chamber residing on opposite sides of said second means, said second means being formed with an aperture intercommunicating said two chamber portions and carrying a reed member in alignment with said aperture and oscillatable responsive to air travel through the latter. means carried in alignment with each of the openings of one of said pairs for restricting air travel therethrough to that entering said chamber, means carried in alignment with each of the openings of the other of said pairs for restricting air travel therethrough to that leaving said chamber, means defining a second chamber communicating with one of said first-named pair of openings and with one of said second-named pair of openings, and keyresponsive valve means controlling communication between said second chamber and the atmosphere.

2. In an accordion, wall means arranged for Y defining a first sealed chamber, means arranged for defining a second sealed chamber, means carried within said first chamber for dividing the latter into a lpair of separate sections and being formed therethrough with an aperture intercommunicating said sections, a reed member carried by said third means in alignment with said aperture and oscillatable responsive to air travel through the latter, means operable for accommodating air travel in one direction through said first chamber and comprising air inlet means on one side of said second means leading from said second sealed chamber and into one of said sections and air outlet means on another side of said second means leading outwardly from the other of said sections, means operable for accommodating air travel in another direction through said first chamber and comprising other air inlet means on said last mentioned side of said second means leading into said first mentioned section and other air outlet means on said first mentioned side of said second means leading outwardly from said second mentioned section and into said second sealed chamber, and key-responsive valve means controlling communication between said second sealed chamber and the atmosphere.

3. In an accordion having a pair of casings sealed and connected together for movement toward and away from each other by an intermediately arranged collapsible bellows, the casings having opposing walls confined within the bellows and opposite walls residing without the bellows, means operable for forming within each of the casings a sealed chamber, means carried within each of said chambers for sub-dividing same into a pair of sections and having an aperture intercommunicating said sections, an oscillatable reed member restricting each of said apertures, a pair of openings formed in the opposing walls each on a like side of said second means occupied by one of said sections and another pair of openings formed in said opposing walls each on a like side of said second means occupied by the other of said sections, a third pair of openings formed in the opposite walls each on the same side of said second means as said first pair of openings and another pair of openings formed in said opposite walls each on the same side of said second means as said second pair of openings, means controlling said first and third pairs of openings so that air travel therethrough is limited to that entering said one section from within and without the bellows, and means controlling said second and fourth pairs of openings so that air travel therethrough is limited to that leaving said other sections.

4. In an accordion Ahaving a pair of casings sealed and connected together for movement toward and away from each other by an intermediately arranged collapsible bellows, the casings having opposing walls confined within the bellows and opposite walls residing without the bellows, means operable for forming within each of the casings a sealed chamber, means carried within each of said chambers for sub-dividing same into a front section and a rear section and having an aperture intercommunicating said sections, an oscillatable reed member restricting each of said apertures, a pair of openings formed in the opposing walls each on the side of said second means occupied by said front section and another pair of openings formed in said opposing walls each on the side of said second means occupied by said rear section, a third pair of openings formed in the opposite walls each on the same side of said second means, as said first pair of openings and another pair of openings formed in said opposite walls each on the same side of said second means as said second pair of openings, means controlling said first and third pairs of openings so that air travel therethrough is limited to that entering said front sections from within and without the bellows, and means controlling said second and fourth pairs of openings so that air travel therethrough is limited to that leaving said rear sections.

ALDO LOGLL 

